Culture

Best grown in rich, consistently moist, slightly acidic, well-drained soils in full sun to part shade. Likes cool locations. Not recommended for planting in the hot and humid summer conditions south of USDA Zone 7. Avoid wet soils. Trees grow poorly in heavy clay soils. Often adversely affected by urban air pollution.

Noteworthy Characteristics

Abies koreana, commonly called Korean fir, is a compact, conical to pyramidal evergreen conifer that slowly grows over time to as much as 50' tall. Branches are densely clad with short but broad needles (to 3/4" long) that are shiny dark green above and silver beneath. Purple cones (to 3" long) are produced when the trees are quite young. As is distinctive with the firs, the cones appear upright on the branches. This species is native to the mountains of South Korea.

Genus name is an ancient Latin name for a tree described by Pliny around 77 A.D.

Specific epithet refers to its native range that includes Korea.

'Silberlocke' typically grows as a compact pyramid to 8' tall during the first 10 years, eventually maturing over time to 20-30' tall. It features recurved needles which showcase the silvery undersides of the needles. Early purple cone production. This cultivar was introduced in Germany in 1986 by Gunter Horstmann.